Google Classroom

Teacher’s Manual
 Table of Contents

Introduction

Section 1: Getting Started

 Sign in to Classroom
 Join a class
 Change account settings

Section 2: Creating and Managing Classes

 Add a class
 Add a class resource page
 Invite teachers to a class
 Set class permissions
 Invite students to a class
 Remove a student from a class
 Remove a teacher from a class
 Archive a class

Section 3: Creating and Grading Assignments

 Create or modify an assignment
 View assignments
 Grade and return an assignment

Section 4: Communicating with your Students

 Post an announcement
 Email a student
 Share to Classroom from a mobile device
The Teacher’s Guide to Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a free application designed to help students and teachers communicate,
collaborate, organize and manage assignments, go paperless, and much more!

This guide is chocked full of step-by-step instructions for using Google Classroom, setting up
classes, creating announcements, discussions, assignments, assignment management and tips! You will
also find helpful screenshots of both the teacher and student side of Google Classroom. This reference
guide is great for new users and full of handy reminders and tips for more experienced users

Things You Should Know: 

● GAFE: Google Classroom is only available to users with Google Apps for Education (GAFE), a
free collaborative suite of tools that includes web tools like Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail, and more.
If you have a GAFE account, but do not have access to Google Classroom, contact your campus or
district IT department. 
● Grade levels: Google Classroom can be used at any grade level, depending on the skills of the
teacher and the skills of the students. Students will need to be able to login to Google Classroom using
their Google Apps credentials. Most teachers are finding success in fourth grade and up, but there are
many using it in primary as well. 
● Google Chrome: To maximize the features in Google Classroom, teachers and students
should use the Google Chrome Browser. Some features work in other browsers, but not all. Plus, Google
Chrome is a fantastic learning environment for all things Google! (Download the Google Chrome browser
here.) 
● Menus: Google uses two symbols across Google Classroom, and other Google applications
(including mobile applications) to represent menus and more actions:

Anytime you see these symbols, there are additional features, actions or options to explore.
Getting Started
with Google Classroom
How do I sign in to Classroom?
Depending on your learning setting, sign in to Classroom with one of the following user account types:

 School account - Also known as a G Suite for Education account, this account is set up by an
accredited school. It looks like you@yourschool.edu (Example: you@csav.edu.ph). If you don't
know your G Suite for Education account details, ask your teacher or the school’s IT admin.

 Personal Google Account - This is set up by you, or your parent or guardian. Typically you use a
personal Google Account outside of a school setting, such as a homeschool. It looks
like you@example.com (Example: you@gmail.com). 

 G Suite account—This is set up by your organization’s admin. It looks

like you@yourcompany.com (Example: you@csav.com).

For more information, see About Classroom user accounts.

Note: Parents and guardians can't access Classroom or their child's assignments due to privacy laws.
Guardians can receive email summaries if their child's teacher allows it. For more information, see About
guardian email summaries.

SIGN IN TO CLASSROOM
You must have an active internet connection to sign in.

Sign in for the first time

1. Go to classroom.google.com  and click Go to Classroom.

2. Enter your username and click Next.

5. If you're using a G Suite for Education

account, click I’m A Student or I’m A
Teacher.

Note: Users with personal Google

Accounts won’t see this option.

3. Enter your password and click Next.

6. Click Get Started.

4. If there is a welcome message, read it

and click Accept.
 Ready to start using Classroom?
 Teachers—See Create a class.
 Students—See Join a class.

If you have trouble signing in

Error message What it means What you can do

Your administrator hasn’t activated Your administrator hasn’t Contact your IT administrator.
Classroom. turned on Classroom for
your account.

This service has been disabled by your Classroom isn't activated Contact your IT administrator.
admin. for your account.

You can’t use Classroom with this account. You signed in to  Sign out and sign in again.
Classroom with the  On the mobile app, you'll be
wrong account. asked to add another
account. Sign in with the
other account.

Has your admin activated Classroom? To Your school doesn't use Your school needs to sign up for
use Classroom, ask your school’s IT or G Suite for Education. G Suite for Education before you can
G Suite administrator to activate use Classroom.
Classroom for your school.

Need more help with signing in? Students, go to   Troubleshooting. Teachers, go to  the  Google Classroom
Help Community.

Access other areas of Classroom

Students, when you’re signed in, you’ll see classes your teachers created. Click Join to add yourself to a
class. For details, see Join a class.

Teachers and students, click Menu   to access other areas of Classroom.

 Classes - Students, navigate to any of your classes. Teachers, see how to create a class.
 Calendar - Students, see your class calendars. Teachers, track student work on class calendars.
 Work - Students, go to See your work for a class. Teachers, go to View student work on the To-
do page.
 Settings - Change your profile photo or password.
JOIN CLASS

Join or leave a class as a co-teacher

This article is for teachers

A teacher can invite you to teach in their class as a co-teacher. Co-teachers can perform all teacher tasks
after they join a class. However, primary teachers and co-teachers have different permissions in
Classroom.

What can I do as a co-teacher?

As a co-teacher, you can:

 Create assignments

 Give feedback on student work

 Enter grades

 Post on the class stream

 Access the class Google Drive folder

 Email teachers and students

Co-teachers cannot:

 Delete a class

 Remove the primary teacher from a class

 Mute another teacher in a class

Your G Suite administrator might only allow teachers from your school to join classes. If you’re having
trouble being added to a class, contact your admin to update your domain's class membership settings. 
If you leave a class you co-teach, you can't open it again unless you're re-invited or enrolled as a student
in the class.
Respond to an invitation to co-teach

Tip: You can quickly accept or decline the invitation to co-teach by clicking the link in the email
notification.

To respond from Classroom:

1. Go to classroom.google.com.

2. On the class card, choose an option:

 If you want to teach the class, click Accept.

 If you don't want to teach the class, click Decline. 

Note: If you're a student in the class, clicking Decline doesn't remove you from the class.

Share files with the primary teacher before leaving a class

In the class Drive folder, the primary teacher can access all the files you created in the class. If you want
to share other files, such as notes or an attendance sheet, you can add them to the class Drive folder.

Only teachers and co-teachers can view the files or folders you add to the class Drive folder. Students
can’t view the files or folders unless you share them.

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
 2. On the class card, click Open folder.

3. In the top-left corner, click New select an option:

 To add a folder to the class Drive for your files, select Folder.
 To upload an existing file or folder, select File upload or Folder upload.

Leave a class as a co-teacher

As a co-teacher, you can leave a class from the Classes page or the People page.

 Leave a class from the Classes page 

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
2. On the class you want to leave, click More 

3. To confirm, click Leave class.

 Leave a class from the People page

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
2. Click the class.
3. At the top, click People.
 4. Next to your name, click More 

5. To confirm, click Leave class.

CHANGE ACCOUNT SETTINGS

Change your profile photo or password

On the Settings page, you can manage your account settings, such as update your profile photo or
change your password. If you forgot your password, you might need help from the administrator who
manages Classroom for your school. 

Change your profile photo

You can display a profile photo next to your name in Classroom. If you teach in a school, your G Suite for
Education profile picture is your Classroom profile photo. Once you add a profile photo, you can’t remove
it - you can only replace it with a different photo. 

Your photo can be a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file of up to 5 MB. Photos are scaled automatically, so they can
be any dimensions.

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
2. At the top, click Menu.

3. Scroll down and click Settings.

 4. Under Profile picture, click Change.

5. Click Select a photo from your computer or drag a photo from your computer. 
6. (Optional) Resize the box over your photo. 
7. Click Set as profile photo.

Change your password

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
2. At the top, click Menu.

 .
3. Scroll down and click Settings.

4. Under Account settings, click Manage.

5. Under Sign-in & security, click Signing in to Google.

 6. Click Password.

7. Enter your current password and click Next.

8. Enter your new password. We recommend that you create a password with at least 8
characters.
9. Enter your new password again and click Change Password. 

I forgot my password

 If you’re a student in a school that uses G Suite for Education - Ask your teacher to contact
the admin to reset your password.
 If you’re a teacher in a school that uses G Suite for Education - Contact the admin to reset
your password.
 If you’re using a personal Google Account outside of a school - See Change or reset your
password.
Creating and Managing Classes
ADD A CLASS

Create a class

As a teacher, one of the first things you'll do in Classroom is create a class for each of the classes you
teach. In a class, you can assign work and post announcements to students.
Anyone over 13 can create a class using a personal Google Account. However, if your school has a
G suite for Education account, you should use that email to create your classes. For details, go to About
Classroom user accounts.

1. Go to classroom.google.com.

2. On the Classes page, click Add    

3. Enter the class name.

 4. (Optional) To enter a short description, grade level, or class time, click Section and enter the
details.
5. (Optional) To add a subject, click Subject and enter a name, or click one from the list that appears
when you enter text.
6. (Optional) To enter the location for the class, click Room and enter the details.
7. Click Create.

Next steps: When you create a class, Classroom automatically creates a class code. You use it to invite
students to the class. You can always view the class code on the Stream page. 

Accept a provisioned class

Your Classroom administrator can create classes for you and add students to them. Classes created by
your administrator are in a provisioned, or prepared, state. To activate a provisioned class so it’s visible to
students and co-teachers, you have to sign in to Classroom and accept the class.

1. Go to classroom.google.com.
2. On the class card, click Accept.

  
3. Confirm the number of students and activation of the class and click Accept.

Note: To learn more about provisioning classes, go to Classroom API resources

Change the class theme

After you create a class, you can change the default image or color pattern that's displayed at the top of
the class stream. Only a teacher can change the theme.
Choose a different theme image from the gallery

1. Go to classroom.google.com.

2. Click the class and at the bottom of the image, click Select theme.

3. Choose an option:

 Select an image from the gallery and then click Select class theme.

 Click Patterns, select a color and pattern, and click Select class theme.

Upload your own theme image

1. Open the class and at the bottom of the image, click Upload photo.
 2. Choose an option:

 Drag a photo from your computer to the middle of the screen.

 Click Select a photo from your computer, choose the image you want to use for your
class, and click Open.

3. Click Select class theme.

Edit Class Information

1. Go to classroom.google.com.

2. On the class card, click More

3. Enter a new name, section, subject, or room  >  click Save.

Edit Class Information

You can display a profile photo next to your name on the Stream page and on class cards on the Classes
page. Classroom uses your Google Account profile photo as your Classroom profile photo.

For instructions, go to Change your Gmail profile picture

Edit Class Information

To save time, you can copy a class for another section or term. For instructions, go to Copy a class. 

ADD A CLASS RESOURCE PAGE

See or change class details

This article is for teachers

After you create a class, you can see or change your class details. Class details include:

 Basic information, such as the class name, section, and room number

 Settings for posts to your Stream page

 Your class video meeting link 

 Your class code

You can change class details in your Settings page. 

Edit a class name, description, section, room, or subject

A class name is required.

Note: If you edit the class name, the name of your class Drive folder doesn't automatically update. To
update the folder name, go to your class Drive folder.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class      .

The class name is automatically entered.

 3. Under Class details, enter your changes and click Save.

Note: Blank fields don't show in the student view.

Display the class code

Classroom automatically creates a class code when you create a class. You can display the code to invite
students and other teachers to the class.
1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.
Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class > Stream.

3. To display the code when projecting, next to the code, click

4. (Optional) To project the code at full screen, click

Turn off, reset, or copy the class code

When you create a class, Classroom automatically creates a class code. If students have trouble with the
class code, you can reset it. If you don't want new students to join your class, you can disable the code.
You can enable it any time.

Note: When you reset or enable a class code, Classroom creates a new code for the class. The previous
code no longer works.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class 

3. Under General, next to the class code, click the Down arrow   and choose an option:

 To display the code, click Display.

 To copy the code, click Copy.

 To reset the code, click Reset.

 To turn the code off or on, click Disable or Enable.

4. Click Save.

Choose how Classwork notifications show on the Stream page

You can choose whether the notifications for your Classwork posts show on the Stream page, and what
details the notifications show.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 
 2. Click the class

3. Next to Classwork on the stream, click the Down arrow    > select an option:

 Show attachments and details - Students see an expanded view of notifications.

 Show condensed notifications - Students see a condensed view of notifications.

 Hide notifications - No Classwork notifications show on the Stream page.

4. Click Save.

Note: Only teachers see an assignment's turned in, assigned, and graded totals.

See deleted student posts

You can see any comments and posts that a student made and then deleted.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class

INVITE TEACHERS TO A CLASS

Invite co-teachers

To invite teachers using Google Groups, you don't have to be the owner or a member of the group.
However, you must be able to view group members and email addresses. If you can't view the list,
contact your administrator to change the permissions. 

Invite a teacher to co-teach your class

You can choose whether the notifications for your Classwork posts show on the Stream page, and what
details the notifications show.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class you want to add co-teachers or groups to. 

3. At the top, click People.

4. Click Invite teachers

You can invite individual teachers or a group.

 5. Enter the email address of the teacher or group.
As you enter text, Classroom shows matching addresses that you can choose from.

6. From the list, click a teacher or group.

7. (Optional) To invite more teachers or groups, repeat steps 5–6.

8. Click Invite.

Accept an invitation to co-teach a class

Invited teachers get an email asking them to co-teach your class. To join the class, the invited teacher
must click a link in the email, or sign in to Classroom and click Accept on the class card.
Limits on class size and groups

Class size limits

Limits on class size depend on the type of account you use with Classroom.

Account type Limits

G Suite for Education  The maximum teachers for a class is 20. You can invite more, but only
20 can join.

 The maximum members (teachers and students) is 1,000.

Personal Google Accounts  The maximum teachers for a class is 20. You can invite more, but only
20 can join.

 The maximum members (teachers and students) is 250.

 Teachers with a personal Google Account also have additional limits

on activity, such as creating classes or inviting students.

Limits for Google Groups

Classroom uses Google Groups for all students and teachers with G Suite for Education accounts.

 Each person can only be in a certain number of groups.

 If you invite a group to join a class as co-teachers, the group must have 10 or fewer members.

SET CLASS PERMISSIONS

Set student permissions to post and comment

This article is for teachers

Students can post and comment on the Stream page, or you can adjust their permissions.

 Posts are ideas, questions, or information that students share. Students can add files such as
images, links, or YouTube videos to their posts. 

 Comments are text-only responses to posts.

You can set permissions for posts and comments by class or by student.

Students can't edit their posts or comments, but they can delete them. Teachers can delete any post or
comment, and see deleted posts and comments.

Control who can posts on the Stream page

Students can post messages on the Stream page and comment on posts from you and from classmates.
You can control students’ posts by setting permissions for individual students or the whole class.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class

3. Under General, next to Stream, click Students can post and comment >  choose a permission:
 Students can post and comment - This option is the default. Students can post to the
Stream page and comment on any item.
 Students can only comment - Students can comment on an existing post, but can't
create a post.
  Only teachers can post or comment - Students can't post or comment on the Stream
page. This option mutes all students.

 To save your selection and return to the Stream page, in the top-right corner, click Save.

Note: If you turn off permissions to post and comment on the Stream page, students can still send you a
private comment.

Mute a student

Muting a student prevents them from posting or commenting on the Stream page of a specific class.
Students won’t see anything on the Stream page to indicate they are muted. They just won’t be able
to post. Muted students can still send you private comments. There are different ways to mute a
student.

Mute a student on the People page

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class.

3. Click People.

4. Next to the student you want to mute, check the box.

5. Click Actions  >  Mute.

 6. Click Mute again to confirm.

Mute a student on their post or comment

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

3. Click the class.

4. Find the post or comment from the student.

5. Click More    Mute student name.

6. Click Mute again to confirm.

7. (Optional) To delete the comment:

 Click More    Delete.

  Click Delete again.

Unmute a student

Unmuting a student lets them post or comment on the Stream page again. There are different ways to
unmute a student.

Unmute a student on the People page

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class.

3. Click People.

4. Next to the student you want to unmute, check the box.

5. Click Actions >  Unmute.
 6. Click Unmute again to confirm.

Unmute a student on their post, comment, or reply to a post

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class.

3. Find the post, comment, or reply from the student.

4. Click More     Unmute student name.

5. Click Unmute again to confirm.
Delete a student post or comment

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class.

3. Find the post or comment.

4. Click More      Delete, and confirm.

See deleted posts or comments

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class

3. Next to Show deleted items, click Show 

4. To hide deleted items, click Hide 

5. To save your changes and return to the Stream page, click Save.

INVITE STUDENTS TO A CLASS

Set student permissions to post and comment

This page is for teachers

To enroll students in your class, you can send them an email invite or share the class code.

 Email invite—After you send the invite, students can click Join in the email or on the class card. 

 Class code—After you share the code, students enter it in Classroom to join your class.

 If students have trouble with a class code, you can reset it, or send them an email invite instead.

Note: Students can unenroll themselves from classes. If they unenroll, their grades are removed.

Send an email invitation

You can send an email invite to individual students or to a group of students. 

Note: To invite a group of students, you can use the email alias for the Google Group. You don't have to
be a member or owner of the group, but you must be able to view group members and email addresses. If
you can't view this information, ask your administrator to change the permissions.
 1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.
Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class you want to invite students to.

3. At the top, click People  >  Invite students

4. Enter the email address of a student or group.

As you enter text, an autocomplete list might appear under Search Results.

5. (Optional) Under Search results, click a student or a group.

6. (Optional) To invite more students or groups, repeat steps 4 and 5.

7. Click Invite.

Note: If you have trouble adding an email address, it might be outside of your school’s domain.
After you send the invite:
 Your class list updates to show the names of invited students.

 Your students can click Join in the email or on their class card.

Send an email invitation

Each class you create has a class code. You share the code with students so they can join your
class. To share the code, paste it into a message, display it with a projector, or write it on the board.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class

3. (Optional) To copy the code so you can paste it into a message, under General, next to the code,
click the Down arrow   Copy.

4. (Optional) To display the code with a projector, under General, next to the code, click the Down
arrow   Display.
 To get a larger view of the code, click Full screen  .

Tip: You can quickly display the code from the Stream page. Under the class name, next to the
code, click Full screen . For a larger view, click Full screen   again. 

5. Give the students these instructions:

a. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu

b. On the Classes page, click Add  Join class.

c. Enter the code and click Join.

Invite students from outside the school domain

You can invite students from outside of your school's or organization's domain the same way you
invite students from your domain, but your IT administrator has to turn on the setting.

Turn off, reset, or copy a class code

When you create a class, Classroom automatically creates a class code. If students have trouble with the
class code, you can reset it. If you don't want new students to join your class, you can disable the code.
You can enable it any time.

Note: When you reset or enable a class code, Classroom creates a new code for the class. The previous
code no longer works.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class

3. Under General, next to the class code, click the Down arrow    and choose an option:

 To display the code, click Display.

 To copy the code, click Copy.

 To reset the code, click Reset.

 To turn the code off or on, click Disable or Enable.

4. Click Save.

Class Size Limits

G Suite for Education accounts

For teachers with a G Suite for Education account, Classroom has the following size limitations for each class:

 Maximum number of teachers: 20

 Maximum number of members (teachers and students): 1,000

Note: Classroom uses Google Groups for all students and teachers. Each person can only be in a certain number of
groups. 
Personal Google Accounts
Teachers with a personal Google Account have limits on activity, such as creating classes or inviting students. 

Remove students from a class

You can remove a student from a class at any time. Removing a student from a class also removes their
grades from the gradebook and assignments. However, the student’s work remains in the class folders in
Google Drive and their posts remain in the class stream.

Note: When you reset or enable a class code, Classroom creates a new code for the class. The previous
code no longer works.

1. Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, you@yourschool.edu  or you@gmail.com. 

2. Click the class > People.

3. Check the box next to the students you want to remove.

4. At the top, click Actions > Remove.

5. Click Remove to confirm.